Stolen Heart
by Uchiha Kasumi
Summary: Sasuke meets a girl that he finds attractive at the river and Sakura doesn't like what's happening. She instantly becomes jealous of Sasuke and his new girlfriend. Will Sakura find a way to turn Sasuke back into his old self again? COMPLETED
1. Love at First Sight

It is day, and the "Naruto gang" (Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke) is happily having their lunch next to a cool and clean river. Ramen noodles for Naruto and donuts for Sakura and Sasuke.  
  
Naruto had just finished swallowing the lasts of his ramen noodles, holding his chopsticks up in the air. "Hey guys, how about a nice refreshing swim after this?" he asked to Sakura and Sasuke.  
"What? But we just ate!" Sakura stated. "You do know that you're supposed to wait at least an hour before swimming. Otherwise you'd barf." She swallowed down the rest of her donut and took a sip of the refreshing river water. She breathed out a contented "aahh".  
Naruto gave Sakura a look in order to show that he didn't care. He stood up and put his hands on his hips. "You actually believe that stuff?" Naruto said, annoyed. "Grown-ups tell that to their kids just to keep them inside the house! And besides, I've gone swimming after eating lots of times, and I never barfed! Not even once."  
Now Sakura was annoyed at Naruto. She also stood up and said, "Well how would you know? You don't even HAVE parents!"  
Naruto's eyes widened. The thought of not having parents struck his heart, and he became angry at Sakura for ever saying that about him. "Don't you.EVER say that about me.EVER! Do you understand?" Naruto shouted in Sakura's face.  
Sasuke finally stood up and joined their conversation. "Shouldn't you give him a chance, Sakura?" Sasuke said sternly. "Just because Naruto doesn't have any parents doesn't mean that you could just start insulting him!"  
Naruto turned to Sasuke, and then looked down to the ground. He didn't know what to say. "Thanks.Sasuke," Naruto said quietly. Sasuke heard him, and nodded in return.  
Sakura hadn't known how hard it was for Naruto not having any parents to help him, feed him, or praise him. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto. I shouldn't have said those things about you."  
Naruto felt a sudden warmth in his heart. He enjoyed having this feeling. It's okay, Sakura. Naruto said in his mind. That face of yours is too pretty to resist. I have no choice but to forgive you. Naruto looked back at Sakura and said, "It's okay, Sakura. I forgive you."  
Sasuke quickly became bored of this, so he turned to the river water and touched it with his hand. He swirled the water around in circles, making his reflection in the river harder to see. He took he hand out and waited for the water to return to its normal flow.  
Sakura had been relieved that Naruto forgiven her for being so rude. She then joined Sasuke next to the river. "What're you doing?" she asked in curiosity.  
"Nothing," Sasuke replied, still staring at his reflection in the water.  
"So I guess that swim in the river won't be happening." Naruto said sadly. He waited for an answer, but found there was no use of just standing there behind Sakura and Sasuke. He plopped down next to them.  
"It's a pretty hot day, huh guys?" Naruto said out loud, hoping to convince Sasuke and Sakura to go swimming. He again waited for an answer, and then looked up and around the environment.  
Silence. The only sounds that were being made were from crickets and birds, and the splashing of the river. Naruto had never experienced this kind of silence. He decided to savor this moment, when Sakura had suddenly spoken.  
"Hey you guys, look, there's a girl!" Sakura pointed out.  
Naruto looked across the river and spotted a girl, just as Sakura had said. "Hmph, yeah it's a girl," Naruto said annoyingly. "Ever seen one?"  
"I just wanted to show you..." said Sakura.  
Sasuke eyes' were off the river now. He was staring at the girl that Sakura had pointed out. The girl was a ninja, wearing the same headband as him.  
Naruto looked at Sasuke, confused. "Hey Sasuke, you okay?"  
Sakura was also worried. "I hope nothing's wrong with him."  
The girl took a couple steps along the river and then turned to see Sasuke staring at her. She smiled and politely waved and greeted him. "Hi there!"  
Sasuke blinked and shook his head out of his staring. His faced turned a rosy red color.  
Naruto rubbed his chin. "Hmm," he began, "I think Sasuke likes that girl."  
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "What??" She had never thought of Sasuke ever liking a girl before. She became furious and yelled at Sasuke, "Sasuke snap out of it!!"  
It was no use. Sasuke was still staring at the girl.  
The girl became curious about what was happening, so she decided to cross the river and introduce herself. She jumped on each rock, making her way towards Sasuke's side.  
Sasuke's heart beat rapidly as she came closer and his face became redder. She hopped off the last rock and stepped onto the dirt. "Hi!" she said happily.  
Sasuke became speechless. He gulped and stood up, shaking. "H-hey." he said shyly. "M-y name i-is S-sasuke!" He started to sweat.  
"Heh heh, hi Sasuke!" she replied. "My name is Suzuki! Nice to meet you," She held out a hand in order to receive a handshake.  
Sasuke looked at Suzuki and back to her hand. He reached out his hand and held onto Suzuki's as if he had never done it before. "N-nice to m- meet you too!" Suzuki's hand felt like a soft and smooth cushion to Sasuke and he didn't want to let go. But Suzuki had let go already and Sasuke looked up at her face, his eyes locked with hers.  
Sasuke stared at her face. She had soft brown hair in pigtails, sparkling eyes, and shining smooth looking skin.  
Sakura became easily jealous about this and stood in front of Sasuke, separating him from Suzuki. She made a low growl at him.  
Suzuki, like the kind person she was, had forgotten to introduce herself to Sakura and Naruto. So she tapped on Sakura's back and kindly said to her, "Hello, my name is Suzuki. May I have your name, please?"  
Sakura turned around and said, "The name's Haruno Sakura! And this is my boyfriend Sasuke. You've already met him before."  
Sasuke was shocked to hear this when he truly wasn't Sakura's boyfriend, but he decided not to speak. 


	2. Suzuki, the Loner

Suzuki turned to Sasuke, who tried not to look at her to hide his blushing face. Suzuki smiled. She cuddled up together and closed her eyes in dreamy wonder. I'm beginning to sort of like Sasuke! she thought.  
Sakura stared at her with an annoyed look on her face. She squeezed her fists as hard as she could and growled. She hated seeing Sasuke and Suzuki like that. Sakura had no choice but so separate them, once and for all. She stomped Suzuki and innocently said, "Gee I'm sorry, but Sasuke and I need to go. DO something.Yeah! We are. umm. going on a date! So bye!"  
Suzuki watched as Sakura grabbed Sasuke's shirt collar and dragged him away from Suzuki. "Umm.bye." she said quietly. She then turned to Naruto, who was throwing rocks at the river.  
"I HATE Sasuke." he mumbled between the splashing of the rocks he threw. He picked up another pebble and threw it as hard as he could. Naruto stopped for a moment to find out that Sasuke and Sakura had left already. He looked around, spotting Suzuki as the only person left.  
"Uhh.hi?" she said, confused.  
Naruto looked at her for a moment. "Hi," he said roughly, trying to ignore Suzuki. He picked up another rock and threw it into the river. He took a glance at the almost orange sky. Taking his last sigh, he walked into the forest, leaving Suzuki alone.  
She, too, looked up into the sky. Suzuki realized that she should leave too. She didn't want to walk home alone when the sky was beginning to darken, so she dashed to Naruto hoping that she could walk home with him. "Can I walk home with you?" she said quietly behind her panting.  
Naruto turned to her. "Sure," he said ignoring her. He continued to walk along the path that lead to home.  
Suzuki felt that she wasn't liked by Naruto. She drooped her head down in depression. I don't think this guy likes me, she thought. I have a feeling that Sakura doesn't like me either. She kicked a lone, crunched up can throughout the walk and kept thinking about Sasuke and if she would ever see him again. 


	3. Sakura Admits

Sakura and Sasuke were still walking home together as Naruto and Suzuki were, and Sakura was still angry with Sasuke for ever falling in love with Suzuki.  
She immediately turned to Sasuke and said, "You like Suzuki, don't you?"  
Sasuke paused for a moment and began to stutter. "I.." he began, "I'm.. not sure,"  
Sakura didn't like how Sasuke was speaking, and she knew that Sasuke obviously liked Suzuki. "Well if you aren't going to admit it," she said, crossing her arms, "Then I guess you don't like Suzuki, am I right?"  
"Weelll..I guess." Sasuke replied in an unsure way.  
Sakura straightened her back in pride and smiled. "Then that means that you're my boyfriend!" She giggled.  
Sasuke was astonished by this. He looked at Sakura's proud expression and began to wonder why Sakura was constantly separating him and Suzuki. He, too, became a little angry and said, "Why are you always separating me and Suzuki??"  
"Hmm?" Sakura said in confusion. "What're you talking about?"  
"Don't play dumb with me!" Sasuke shouted out loud, yet in a quiet way. "What is wrong with you? Do you dislike it when I am with Suzuki??"  
Sakura was surprised at Sasuke's angry voice. "I.." She sighed.  
"Speak up!" Sasuke yelled again, "If you don't like it, then why don't you leave us alone?"  
Sakura was now afraid; she didn't like hearing Sasuke's voice so violent. "Yes, I don't like seeing you with Suzuki," she admitted, "I don't like it at all!" Sakura covered her face with her hands and began to cry.  
Sasuke sighed, and started to walk home on his own.  
Sakura stopped crying and looked up at Sasuke, who was now quite far away from her. "Wait!" she yelled, running after him. She finally caught up with him and said, "So that's it? You were just gonna leave me there by myself??"  
Sasuke ignored how she felt and replied, "Yeah sure, why not,"  
Sakura was saddened to hear this. "Sasuke.could we stop for a minute?"  
He stopped walking as he was asked to. "Yeah, what?"  
"You don't know..how I feel about you," she started, "I really care for you, Sasuke,"  
Sasuke was shocked. So this is the reason why she doesn't want me around Suzuki, he thought. Now I understand. "I..I never knew,"  
"I know you didn't," Sakura said, "And to tell you the truth...." she gulped, "I like how you look.. But not the way you act,"  
Sasuke had once been told a long time ago that he looked very cute, but he needed to work on his personality by his mother. She said, "Sasuke, you're very handsome, but you need to fix that personality of yours. You work on your own too much; you think that you can do everything by yourself. I think that you're very talented, Sasuke, but you never do anything social. Why don't you go outside and play with your friends, or make some friends? It's great that you're an excellent shinobi, but it's how you act that worries me."  
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, worried.  
Sasuke kept thinking about what his mother had said before, and felt a little bad about himself. 


	4. Sakura's Problem

"Just go away and leave me alone," Sasuke said finally, and continued walking.  
"Well fine! If that's the way you want it, then I guess I'll just go walk home alone!" Sakura cried out a moment later. She stamped her feet on the ground and walked home by herself, not saying a word. The sound of her sniffing and sandals was all that was heard.  
When Sakura finally got home, she slammed the door behind her and stomped into her bedroom. Her parents became worried.  
"Sakura?" Sakura's mom said while knocking on the bedroom door. "Is something wrong?"  
"Go away!" Sakura replied, her faced muffled inside her pillow. "I don't want to talk about it,"  
Her father then opened the door and came inside to comfort her. "Sakura, what's wrong?"  
She whined and pulled up her blanket to cover herself. "Sakura," her father said again, pulling the blanket off. "Tell me what happened," he demanded.  
Doing as she was told, she sat up with a depressed and ashamed look on her face covered with dried tears. Sakura sniffed and said, "It was at the river," she began. "I was eating a snack with Sasuke and Naruto,"  
Her father stopped her. "You mean.. Uzamaki Naruto?" he said with widened eyes.  
"Yes," Sakura replied. "And at the river, I saw this girl on the other side.."  
"Go on?"  
She gulped. "And I looked at Sasuke and he was staring at the girl,"  
Her father sighed. "Is that the problem?"  
"No," Sakura said. "The problem was that Sasuke liked the girl, but I like him!"  
Her father chuckled. "I that it?" he said smiling.  
Sakura stood up. "It's not funny!" she protested.  
"Sakura, please lower your voice! Some people are sleeping at this time," her mother said softly. She turned to Sakura's father. "Honey, Sakura is a young girl. Let her finish telling us why her story is a problem to her,"  
"Well, the girl came to our side of the river and told us that her name was Suzuki," Sakura continued. "And Naruto said that they like each other! I don't want Sasuke liking anybody..even me.. I have feelings for him and I liked him before Suzuki!"  
Her father rubbed his chin. "I see,"  
"Then we were gonna go home and I was walking with Sasuke, but we had a big argument..and..I should've apologized.." Sakura said quietly now.  
"Sasuke..Sasuke..where have I heard that name before?" her mother said in wonder.  
"Hmm..I believe she's talking about Uchiha Sasuke? Of the Uchiha clan?" her father answered. "I've heard that he is quite a handsome young shinobi!"  
Sakura's mother bent down on her knees and pinched Sakura's cheeks. "And you're quite a beautiful young girl!" she said, chuckling.  
Sakura sniffed and wiped away the lasts of her tears and said, "Thank you mom, thank you dad. I'm feeling much better now." 


	5. Dreaming

Sakura's parents left her room and she eventually fell asleep. Her dream began with her located in a mysterious dark tunnel.  
"Hello?" she called out.  
She continued to walk around, exploring this new and strange place. "Is anyone here?" she said once more. There was no answer, so she decided to keep going until she eventually found some sort of exit.  
Sakura finally spotted a small circle of light, most likely leading out into a city or town. She ran towards the light and climbed up a ladder until she had to stop because the top part of the ladder was somehow broken off. She tried jumping up, but she was afraid that she might fall. "Darn!" she said disappointed.  
A few seconds passed, and Sakura looked up to see a hand reaching out to her. "Grab my hand," a voice said, coming from the person who was trying to help Sakura. "I'll pull you out."  
Huh.. Sakura thought. That voice sounds very familiar, yet I can't seem to picture the person.  
She then grabbed hold of the person's hand and was pulled out into a large city. She turned to say "thank you" but when she saw who the person, she was shocked. "S-Sasuke?" she stuttered.  
"Good thing I looked inside that sewer," Sasuke said. "If I hadn't looked, you would have been stuck there until you found another exit."  
"Gee..thanks," said Sakura.  
Sasuke stood up, helping Sakura up to her feet. "How long have you been down there?" he asked.  
Sakura couldn't help the feeling of Sasuke for once being nice to her. "I don't believe it," she whispered to herself.  
"What was that?"  
"Oh.." Sakura said immediately. "Nothing..just thinking about stuff."  
Sasuke nodded. "Would you like to go to the river with me?"  
Sakura was even more shocked. "I.." she paused. "Sure, I guess."  
Sasuke and Sakura walked along a dirt path leading into the woods, where the river was located. After a couple of minutes, they were at the river.  
"This river...and these woods.." Sakura said to herself. "I was here with Sasuke and Naruto! It's like time is repeating itself,"  
Sasuke turned to Sakura. "Sorry, did you say something?"  
"Oh, no.." she said. Sakura walked to the edge of the river. "The water is so clear," she said, and hopped onto some rocks and ended up on a small mound of dirt placed in the center of the river. She bent down and watched little water bugs jump and skid on the surface of the water. Sakura looked up to see Sasuke bent down facing a tree, as if he was looking for something. "Sasuke?" she said to him.  
Sasuke turned and stood up, holding a tiny squirrel in his hands. "I found this baby squirrel trying to climb the tree. It seemed like it couldn't, so I just decided to maybe enjoy holding it and petting it for a while," he said. "This little squirrel is a pretty speedy one; I almost lost it,"  
Sakura hopped off the mound and jumped back onto land. She carefully petted the squirrel's delicate fur. "It's so cute," she said in wonder. "I wish I could catch speedy animals like you," she said again.  
"It's nothing," Sasuke said. "Now we'd better leave this critter alone, its family might be looking for it." Sasuke bent down again and let the squirrel go.  
Sakura silently waved at the little squirrel, who was now attempting to climb the tree again.  
At once, Sakura woke up. "Wow," she said in amazement. "What a dream.. Sasuke acted so nicely as if I were his special guest or something," Sakura then just ignored the thought and fell back asleep. It was getting closer to midnight, and a new day was to begin. 


	6. Wrong Choice

Man, this is the longest chapter I've written so far! And it's a good one too, so read it all! ^_^ (I'm also sorry for not updating a single chapter for MONTHS.)  
  
It was morning, and Sakura had gotten up early, thinking about her previous dream. "Will that actually happen to me?" she asked herself. "But it couldn't.. Sasuke didn't know who I was.. Maybe I'm just thinking too much,"  
Sakura stepped outside and stretched out her arms and yawned. "Guess there's gonna be sunny weather today," she said as she took a glimpse at the bright sun.  
Sudden thoughts of Suzuki appeared in her mind. She growled and shook a fist. "I wish I had never pointed her out.." She said. "I wish she was never alive!" She stomped to a tree and sat down in its shade. Just then, she over heard a conversation going on. Turning around, Sakura found out that the conversation was between Sasuke and Suzuki. "Ugh!" she said quietly, and listened to them talk.  
"I'm sorry that Sakura pulled me out of our other conversation yesterday," Sasuke said first. "She just wanted some attention."  
Sakura glared. "What? Attention??"  
"Oh, that's alright," Suzuki said. "It was probably because we were talking to each other too long,"  
"Oh, whatever!" Sakura beamed. "Know-It-All.."  
"Yeah, I guess.." said Sasuke. "I was wondering..if maybe you'd like to come with me to the river for a snack?"  
"WHAT??" Sakura growled out, almost loud enough for Suzuki and Sasuke to hear.  
Suzuki frowned. "No, I can't," she replied. "I have a busy day today. Maybe some other time."  
Sasuke frowned with her. "I..I see.." he said sadly.  
"Hmph, let's hope tomorrow's another busy day for her!" Sakura mumbled.  
Suzuki put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Hey, it's not that I don't like you or anything, it's just that.."  
Sasuke gently lifted Suzuki's hand off his shoulder and said, "Suzuki, I understand. You've got business to take care and that's fine with me."  
Suzuki blushed. "Thank you," she said, and hugged him. Sasuke appreciated the hug and nodded with a blushing face.  
She immediately took off to finish her jobs and waved back to Sasuke. Sasuke lifted a hand in return.  
Although Suzuki ran past the tree Sakura was sitting behind, she never noticed her. Sakura sighed in relief and turned back to Sasuke, who was circled by a small group of gangsters.  
With his face down, he rolled his eyes up at their faces. "What do you want?"  
The leader (or the one who seems to be the leader) took a step forward. "Who was that? You're girlfriend?" He grinned.  
"Well wouldn't you like to know?" Sasuke replied with an annoyed look.  
"Huh," the leader said impatiently. "Well whether or not she's your girlfriend, and you gotta make her go crazy for you, right?"  
Sasuke shrugged. "Not really,"  
"Hmp. well if you do wanna impress her.." The leader took out a small package of what seemed to be cigarettes from his pocket. "Try some of this, it'll make you look cool in no time!"  
Sasuke stared. He then turned to the gangsters. Two of them held beer bottles, three were smoking, and the leader was glaring at him with the cigarettes. His heart was beating fast, and Sakura also stared, hoping that he wouldn't accept the offer.  
"Please Sasuke.don't believe him.." she whispered.  
The leader chuckled again. "Here, let me help you with that," He reached into another pocket and took out a match. He turned the flame on and lit the cigar. "Take it," he ordered.  
Sasuke wanted to punch the gangsters, but didn't have the courage to do it. His body shook and trembled in fear continuously, yet he didn't run away nor accept the offer.  
Sakura bit her nails, knees shaking. She, too, wanted to punch them, but was too scared. "Run," she whispered once more, sweating.  
Sasuke didn't have much of a choice because if he ran away, the gangsters would probably beat him up. Also because of the fact that he was circled. "I-I'll do it," he answered at last.  
Smirking, the leader handed the lit cigar to him. "Heh heh, good choice kid." he said to Sasuke.  
Sakura gasped. "No! This isn't like you, Sasuke, not like you at all!" Her eyes widened. She watched as Sasuke brought the cigar closer to his mouth. Sakura couldn't take it. Her anger won over her fear. She had to do something, and fast, for Sasuke was in grave danger. At once, she stood up and tackled Sasuke, his cigar flying in the air and landing on the ground.  
The leader stepped up. "Hey who are you?" he said ferociously.  
Sakura didn't want to see the leader's face. So she closed her eyes, turned, and punched the leader in the stomach as hard as she could. Sakura knocked him out and he slowly fell to the ground.  
Sasuke was unconscious, so he didn't know what was happening. For once, Sakura didn't care and she continued to fight against the gangsters. A moment later, two gangsters remained, so she didn't have much of a problem.  
Sakura beamed at the two gangsters. "You know what I think about beer and cigars?" she asked them angrily.  
She swiped through the glass beer bottle and cigar that they were holding, and sliced them in half. Although her hand was bleeding from the glass and covered in ash (which made the cut sting more), she refused to let that stop her. The two gangsters were now shaking.  
Sakura raised her bloody hand and turned it into a fist. "I swear.. you won't get away with this!" she declared. Without a moment to spare, she punched them both to the ground, joining their leader.  
"Jerks," Sakura whispered, gasping from the fight. She reached down to grab the pack of cigarettes and match, and lit the cigarettes on fire, slowly turning them to a burning pile or ash. She then stepped on it and it burned out.  
She pulled Sasuke up onto her back and carried him home. 


	7. Surprises

Sasuke woke up to find himself lying in bed at home with Sakura waiting anxiously at his side. "Wh-ha..." He sat up, running his hand through his hair, noticing that he had a large cut (which came from Sakura's tackle) on his forehead. He was confused.  
  
~ Why am I at home? Why is Sakura here with me? And.. And why do I have this big cut on my head? I can't remember anything.. ~  
  
He looked up at Sakura. He gave her a look. "What happened? And why do I have this cut on my forehead?"  
  
Sakura was in a way, scared. She thought he would get mad at her for tackling him, giving him that ugly cut. She rubbed her hand against her opposite arm and looked down. "Well...do you remember when you were talking with Suzuki?"  
  
For a moment, he thought hard about it. When he finally came up with his answer, he nodded and said, "Yes."  
  
She sighed. "After that, you ran into a bunch of gangsters. They wanted you to smoke a cigarette and I had to stop you and them. So I tackled you, right before you put that cigar in your mouth, and when you fell to the ground you must've gotten that cut on your forehead. I had no idea that the drop would create such a large cut. I thought it would just give you a bruise," she said as she wrapped Sasuke's forehead with bandages.  
  
He was shocked.  
  
~You mean that's why I have this stupid cut? Well I shouldn't be too mad at her..she did it to stop me from taking that cigar... but what about the gangsters?~  
  
"What about the gangsters?" he asked. "What happened to them?"  
  
Sakura continued. "There were a lot of them, but I was so angry that I just had to fight, no matter how tough they were. I punched and kicked them all, each one falling to the ground and their beers and cigars dropping with them. You were unconscious during all of this. After that, I took you home."  
  
Sasuke couldn't believe that he wasn't able to see what had happened. H glanced at Sakura's hand. It was also in bandages. "What about your hand?"  
  
Sakura held up her hand. "This? I got it from when I was fighting the gangsters. It was a little before I finished fighting."  
  
"But how?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"There were two guys left, one holding beer and the other with a cigar. I cut through them with my hand and the glass from the beer bottle cut me, and the cigar's ashes got on the cut, which made it sting real bad. A lot of blood gushed out."  
  
Sasuke turned away from the thought. "I-I see," He looked out the window and saw that it was a little near five o'clock.  
  
~Sakura should be going home now.. I don't want to get too into this~  
  
Just as Sasuke said that in his mind, Sakura stood up, getting ready to leave. She walked to Sasuke's bedroom door, about to exit when she said, "I'd better be going. My parents are probably worrying about me. So..bye." She started to walk again.  
  
Sakura was now opening the door to leave his house. As she opened it, Sasuke couldn't help, but feel sorry for her. He was always mean, and ignoring her everyday, never giving her a smile. So he shouted, "Wait!"  
  
She stopped. She said in an annoyed way, "What?"  
  
Sasuke turned away. "I-I just wanted to say.. Thank you..and I'm sorry...for-never respecting you and ignoring you all the time,"  
  
Sakura was surprised.  
  
~Sasuke? Apologizing?? And saying thank you? I've never heard him say that! I guess..he really does care for me..~  
  
She blushed and took one more step. "Your welcome," she said, and ran home.  
  
Sasuke just sighed and fell into bed. "She really must care for me, but what about Suzuki?" he asked himself.  
  
Short chapter, eh? Sorry, but I was kinda in a rush! Gotta go off now, later. =] 


	8. In the Morning

Sasuke woke up early in the morning to get relaxed from everything that happened yesterday. He left his house and walked to the river.  
  
~ Hn. . . Sakura's so caring . . . but why? Maybe it's just a stupid love thing with girls. Hm- ~  
  
"Sasuke?" said a familiar voice behind him. He turned, and saw Sakura. "Hi," he said in return uncomfortably.  
  
"Sorry," she said. "Did I bother you?"  
  
Sasuke sighed. "Not really."  
  
"Oh. . . so what are you doing here so early?"  
  
"What are YOU doing here so early?"  
  
"I asked first."  
  
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I came here to do some thinking. You?"  
  
Sakura shrugged. "Same here."  
  
She stared at Sasuke for a long time, but Sasuke stayed in the same position. His hands stayed folded together and he kept his eyes locked on the flowing river.  
  
~ What's running through that mind of his? He seems much quiet now. ~  
  
Because of the fact that Sasuke was thinking as did Sakura, she decided to leave him alone. "I don't want to disturb you." Then she left and sat on a faraway rock.  
  
As soon as she sat down, the bushes suddenly rustled. She gasped.  
  
~ What was that? ~  
  
Sakura turned around, but no one was there. She hopped off the rock and inspected the bushes carefully. "Hmm. . . nothing's there. . . it was probably just a squirrel or something." Leaving that thought behind, she returned to her rock. But once again, the bushes rustled just as she sat down. "Ugh, what is it??" she said in an annoyed voice. No one answered. "Hmph. . . I hope Sasuke isn't trying to scare me!"  
  
"Sakura. . ." a voice said from the bush.  
  
She trembled in fear. "Wh-who are y-you??"  
  
The voice got louder. "SAKURA. . ."  
  
She stood up and stomped her foot. "Show yourself!"  
  
Immediately after she said that, something from the bush tackled Sakura to the ground. "Ouch!" she said, and slowly stood back up. Naruto was standing in front of her. "Naruto??" she said angrily.  
  
"Heh heh, scared you didn't I?" he said grinning.  
  
"Ugh! Just be glad that I didn't beat you up like last time's training with Kakashi-sensei!"  
  
Naruto made an ignoring face. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He said waving his hand. "So what are you doing here so early?"  
  
"I came to think. I needed a quiet place."  
  
*****  
  
Sasuke was now alone, continuing to think. He ran his hand through his hair.  
  
~ I know she cares for me, but. . .isn't she jealous? Maybe she's trying to win me back. ~  
  
After he said that in his head, Master Kakashi sprung out of a nearby tree, almost scaring Sasuke. "Good morning, Sasuke," he said in a happy tone.  
  
Sasuke sighed. "Good morning, Kakashi-sensei,"  
  
"So what brings you around here so early?  
  
"Thoughts."  
  
"Mmm, I see," said Kakashi in a familiar voice. "You seem to be doing that a lot nowadays,"  
  
"Yeah," he replied. "I guess."  
  
"Would you like to tell me about what you're thinking?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"I. . . I'm not in the mood," Sasuke said and left Kakashi.  
  
"Well now that that's over, I guess I'll go get Naruto now. He still needs his punishment for eating all of the ramen in the cupboard." 


	9. Help Please?

The last chapter has been fixed! You can go read it now. =]  
  
--------------------  
  
After a short talk with Naruto, Sakura left the river and walked home.  
Now that Kakashi was gone, Sasuke decided to stay. No one was there to disturb him. He was alone, sitting next to a peaceful river that never stopped flowing. He leaned against a rock and skipped pebbles on the river. To his surprise, he was quite good at it because of the fact that he hadn't skipped rock for a long time.  
  
He sighed in content and continued to skip pebbles. Right when he was about to throw the second pebble, he heard footsteps. . . . and they were getting closer.  
  
~ Ugh, who is it now? Can't I get some peace? ~  
  
When he turned around to see who it was, he saw Suzuki holding a bucket. He wondered what she was doing here. "Hey," he said.  
  
She turned to him. "Oh, hi!" She said and ran to Sasuke. "I didn't expect to find you here so early,"  
  
"I just came here to do some thinking. . ." he said softly.  
  
~ What's with the bucket? ~  
  
"I see," she replied. "Well . . . I gotta get back to work. Today's another busy day for me-but it's great to see you again!"  
  
"Yeah," he smiled. Sasuke couldn't stop thinking about the bucket. "What's the bucket for?"  
  
Suzuki held up the bucket. "You mean this? I have to fill it with water. My parents and I are making ramen and we ran out of water."  
  
"I see," he said, chuckling at the thought of Naruto trying to steal their ramen noodles.  
  
She noticed him. "May I ask what's so funny?"  
  
Sasuke chuckled once more. "Oh, nothing."  
  
"Hmm, okay. I'd better get the water. My parents are probably wondering what's taking me so long. Seeya."  
  
"Bye," he said, watching as Suzuki filled the bucket with the clean river water and leave.  
  
~ Suzuki seems so busy these days. . . is she trying to ignore me? ~  
  
But he doubted it. He and Suzuki loved each other, and he knew it. Sakura loved him too, and he only loved her half as much as Suzuki. Should he hang out with either of them? He wished that he wasn't so "cute".  
  
~ Damn, if I wasn't so good-looking, I wouldn't be stuck in a situation like this! ~  
  
He thought if he should ask his parents for help, but what do they know? Absolutely nothing. But that's only what Sasuke thought.  
  
~ My parents are of no use to me. They're just dumbasses. Kakashi wouldn't know either. He's just a teacher. ~  
  
He stood and climbed up a tree, sitting on the closest branch he could find. He gazed down upon the river, noticing how small it was from this view.  
  
Remembering that he had stayed at the river for a long time, he had no clue what time it was. He also remembered that Suzuki was going to eat ramen at this hour. "Perhaps it's a little near twelve. Either that or she eats lunch too early."  
  
Sasuke yawned. He was getting bored. He realized that it was getting close to lunchtime. Home was the only place he wanted to go now. Sasuke hopped off the branch and landed safely on the ground. He then walked home. 


	10. The Gift

Sasuke entered the house, closing the door behind him. When he walked in he saw his parents having a delightful conversation and drinking tea. They turned to him. "Hello, Sasuke," his mother said happily. "Would you like to join us for some tea?"  
  
He shrugged. "No, I'm kind of tired."  
  
His father looked at him. Though Sasuke always frowned, his parents could tell whether he was sad, mad, or in any other kind of mood, just by looking at his frown. Right now, he found that Sasuke was in no certain mood (Or so he thought). He still decided to ask him a question anyway. "Is something wrong?" his father asked.  
  
~ Damn, they always ask me this. I'm fine!! ~  
  
"N-no. . ." said Sasuke.  
  
"Hn. . .alright. Get some rest then." his father said.  
  
Sasuke nodded and headed for his room. He shut the bedroom door, fell on his bed and went right to sleep.  
  
His mother walked in and covered his body with a blanket and kissed him on the cheek. With that, she left his room.  
  
Immediately after she had closed his door, someone was knocking on the house door. "I'll get it."  
  
She opened the door and saw Suzuki holding a small neatly wrapped box in her hands. "And who are you?" asked Sasuke's mom.  
  
"We never met before. I'm Sasuke's friend, Suzuki," she said with a smile on her face.  
  
"Ahh, I see," said Sasuke's mom. "Did you want to see Sasuke?"  
  
Suzuki nodded. "Yes,"  
  
"I'm afraid that he's asleep. Do you think you could come back later?"  
  
"I guess. . .I was going to give him this gift I made. Do you think you could give it to Sasuke for me?" asked Suzuki politely.  
  
"Of course, dear," replied Sasuke's mom. "When he wakes up, I'll show it to him."  
  
Suzuki bowed. "Thank you." she said and headed home.  
  
Sasuke's mom closed the door. "What a sweet little girl," she said quietly.  
  
Sasuke's father grunted. "Who was it?"  
  
"A friend of Sasuke's. She wanted me to give Sasuke this gift," she said, showing father the wrapped little box.  
  
"Did she tell you what was inside it?" he asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"I see."  
  
Sasuke was wide awake. He actually wasn't sleeping at all when Suzuki came to visit. He listened to Suzuki's and his mom's conversation. And he heard something about a gift.  
  
~ A gift? . . . I want to see. . . ~  
  
He was never so excited about receiving a gift, but there was something special about this one that he didn't know about. Perhaps it was because the gift was made by Suzuki? But why did it feel so different? Sakura gave him tons of presents before! He left the question behind him. He just wanted to see what Suzuki wanted to give him.  
  
He left his room and saw his parents talking to each other again.  
  
"Well, that was quite a short nap!" exclaimed his father.  
  
"Oh. . .yeah," said Sasuke.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" asked his mother.  
  
"Yeah. . . until you woke me up by closing the house door," he said a little frustrated.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear. I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
He sighed.  
  
~ My mom takes these things so seriously! So you woke me up, who cares. I wasn't even sleeping, sheesh. I'm just looking for an excuse for me waking up so early. ~  
  
"Sasuke wait, I almost forgot. A friend of yours came by today. She wanted me to give you this," she said, handing him the box.  
  
"Thanks," he said and went to his room, closing the door.  
  
He sat on the floor, opening the box. When he lifted the lid, he found a small gem with the hitai-ate leaf sign carved into it. Sasuke admired the gem's turquoise color and how it sparkled. He touched the sign and sighed in wonder.  
  
~ This is amazing. . .I'm not going to lose this. Thank you, Suzuki. ~  
  
Sasuke put the gem back in the box and grabbed the lid. He found a small note underneath it. He read it quietly to himself.  
  
~ Sasuke, this is for you. I'm giving this to you because we never got to spend much time together since I had to run errands for my parents. This gem is supposed to remind you of me, even though I'm not there. Let this be a good-luck charm to you, and keep it safe. Yours truly, Suzuki. ~  
  
He put the lid back on the box.  
  
~ A good-luck charm. . . ~  
  
With that thought in his head, he decided to take the gem back out and keep it in his pocket for good-luck. The gem would be of no use if it was just lying around in the house. He looked outside. He wanted to thank Suzuki. He opened the door to exit the house when his mother asked, "Sasuke, where are you going?"  
  
He turned around. "I'm going to see Suzuki. I'll be back soon." He closed the door and ran towards Suzuki's house.  
  
His parents sighed. "He keeps leaving the house! I'm getting upset." His mother said.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Sakura was walking around when she suddenly saw Sasuke zoom past her. She saw that he was headed for Suzuki's home.  
  
~ What's he up to now? ~ 


	11. A Lesson Learned

Sakura watched as Sasuke ran faster and faster.  
  
~ He sure is a speed demon. ~  
  
She followed him until they reached Suzuki's house. "I wonder what he's doing here,"  
  
Sasuke walked up the steps of her house, knocked on the door, panting at the same time. He tried to keep his back straight to act polite, but he just needed to crouch down to calm his panting down.  
  
Someone finally opened the door-it was Suzuki. "Sasuke!" she said happily. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Sakura kept watch and listened to them in a bush.  
  
~ Ugh, Suzuki! What does Suzuki want with her? ~  
  
Sasuke stood up and stopped his panting. He reached into his pocket and took out the gem. "Did you give this to me?"  
  
Suzuki's eyes sparkled. "Yes,"  
  
"Well, I came by to thank you. . .this really is an amazing gift. I've never received anything like it. It's the best gift I've ever gotten."  
  
Sakura felt like her heart literally broke in half. She couldn't believe what she just heard. She gave Sasuke all those presents and he never even liked them! She sniffed as a tear came rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away with her arm.  
  
~ I. . . I guess it's true then. . . .Sasuke truly loves Suzuki. Now that I've found out, I guess there's no reason to love Sasuke anymore. ~  
  
The last sentence she said was now locked in her mind. ". . .there's no reason to love Sasuke anymore. . ." She continued to weep in the bushes. She wondered if either Suzuki or Sasuke could hear her. She really didn't care.  
  
Suzuki blushed. "You're welcome, then. It took me hours to get the hitai-ate leaf sign carved into there! But it was worth it."  
  
"Yeah. I can't believe you made this! You're quite a crafter," Sasuke complimented.  
  
Suzuki smiled and so did Sasuke. "So uh, I'd better get back. I'm helping my mom with the dishes." said Suzuki.  
  
"Go ahead," Sasuke said in return. He walked down the stairs as Suzuki closed the door. As he walked, he heard someone crying. A familiar sound. . .  
  
~ Who is tha-Sakura! ~  
  
He ran to the bushes. He spread the bushes in half. Before taking another step, he found Sakura scrunched up together as if she were a shrimp. He walked closer and sat down next to her. "Sakura. . ." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
Sakura didn't dare look up. She already knew it was Sasuke. She was disappointed enough. She just whined and continued to weep, burying her face in her arms.  
  
Sasuke sighed. He ran his hand through Sakura's hair. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.  
  
Her weeping got quieter, and wasn't as bad as before. It decreased now to just sniffles. She released her arms and looked up at Sasuke.  
  
He rubbed his hand on Sakura's cheek, covering her dried tears. "Tell me," he said in a calm voice. "Why are you crying?"  
  
She looked down again.  
  
"Sakura," he said again. "Look at me."  
  
She did as she was told. "Y-You said," she began. "That the gem you received was the best gift you ever got. . .I gave you lots of gifts and you never liked even one of them, did you?"  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened. He sighed. "No. I never did."  
  
Another tear rolled down Sakura cheek. She sniffed again. "So I guess my love for you doesn't even compare to your love for Suzuki??"  
  
Sasuke remained calm and continued to act honest. "No," he said, and that was the truth. He did say that his love for Sakura was half his love for Suzuki. But it didn't go like that.  
  
Sakura was surprised. "What--?" she said with a look on her face.  
  
"Sakura," Sasuke said. "I've always loved you. Since the first day we've met I've been ignoring you, but when I got to know you better my love for you grew. Everything I'm saying is true."  
  
She sniffed once more. "But. . .what about my gifts?"  
  
"Your gifts?" he said in a surprised kind of way. "I don't need prized possessions!"  
  
"What about the gem you got from Suzuki?"  
  
"The gem? I could tell she put her heart into it. She worked on it for hours and hours, trying to make it just right. But you on the otherhand, gave me items that were bought, not hand-made. It takes more than store-bought gifts to make someone love you. Much more."  
  
Sakura looked down. She was embarrassed for buying him things like that. She should've known better. "I. . .I just wanted to earn your love,"  
  
"Sakura, I'm not mad at you. I'm just trying to teach you something. And Sakura. . .you've earned it."  
  
She was about to cry again. She hugged Sasuke. She hugged him as tight as she could. She didn't want to let go. She had learned her lesson. And she kept it locked inside her heart. . .forever. 


	12. Confession

Chapter 12 - Confession  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Sakura let go of him. He took a look at Sasuke but thought of something. "It's great and all, but what about Suzuki?"  
  
Sasuke hadn't thought much about that. He knew that he should tell the truth, but deep down, he really didn't want to. "I. . .I guess I should tell her," he said weakly. Sakura nodded.  
  
So he stepped up and went back to Suzuki's house. He knocked on the door and Suzuki appeared again. "Back again?" she asked in surprise.  
  
"Yes. . ." Sasuke said softly. "I. . .I need to tell you something,"  
  
"Go ahead,"  
  
He gulped. "You remember Sakura?"  
  
"Yes. . ."  
  
"Well. . .I. . .I. . .I-I love her!"  
  
Suzuki's eyes widened. Now she was heart broken. She looked down.  
  
"I'm really sorry. . ." Sasuke said in disappointment.  
  
Suzuki sighed. "It's okay. . . I mean, we can still be good friends, right?"  
  
Sasuke smiled. "Of course," He reached into his pocket one more time and took out the gem. "If you want, you can have it back."  
  
She smiled. "No, you keep it. Instead of thinking of it as a love gift to you, think of it as a. . .a. . .a friendship charm?"  
  
"Well," he said smiling again. "I'm no girl, but I'll keep it."  
  
Suzuki winked. "Cool. . .but. . .I too, love someone other than you."  
  
Sasuke was surprised. "Really??"  
  
"Yeah. . .that Naruto kid," she said quietly.  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened. He was shocked! He could barely move.  
  
~ This is hilarious! But I have to keep my laughing in or I might hurt Suzuki's feelings. ~  
  
He just coughed. "Gee," he coughed out. "That's, um, nice. . .great to hear?"  
  
Suzuki giggled. "Thank you," To her surprise, she took a glance behind Sasuke and saw Naruto trotting down the dirt road towards her house.  
  
"Err, what are you looking at?" Sasuke asked. Before she could do anything, he turned around for himself and saw Naruto. "Naruto?"  
  
Naruto spotted Sasuke. He waved and shouted out loud, "HEY GUYS! WHAT'S UP!!" He ran to Sasuke. He punched his arm lightly. "Ooh, flirtin' with a girl?" he said and snickered.  
  
"No," he said smiling. He took a step behind Naruto and pushed him toward Suzuki. "YOU are!"  
  
Naruto blushed and Suzuki did too. He started to sweat. "Err. . .hi?"  
  
"Hi Naruto!" she said in return. "I understand you like ramen?"  
  
"OH YEAH!"  
  
She giggled. "Well, we just ate, but we have some more ramen left and my parents will understand!" She smiled.  
  
Naruto couldn't speak for the first couple seconds. "YOU. . ." he said at last. ". . .ARE MY HERO!!" And with that, he ran into Suzuki's house and she followed, closing the door behind her.  
  
Sasuke chuckled.  
  
~ What a loser. Suzuki has no idea what she just led herself into. . . ~  
  
After that thought he went back to Sakura who was now out of the bushes. "I did it,"  
  
Sakura nodded. "You didn't even break a sweat! That was. . .really sweet of you," she said softly.  
  
". . .I love you." said Sasuke quietly.  
  
Again they hugged and they walked together to the river.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
okay, people are telling me that sasuke has no parents. I KNOW THAT!! *sorry, I had to shout* I dunno. . .i just like sasuke with parents. ^,^" 


End file.
